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CEGL002078 Quercus velutina / Carex pensylvanica Forest
Type Concept Sentence: No Data Available
Common (Translated Scientific) Name: Black Oak / Pennsylvania Sedge Forest
Colloquial Name: Black Oak Forest
Hierarchy Level: Association
Type Concept: This black oak forest community is found in the upper midwestern United States. Stands are found on sandy, well-drained to excessively well-drained soils. These develop from glacial outwash, glaciofluvial deposits, alluvial sediments, and dunes. The soils are relatively infertile and acidic. The tree canopy is moderately closed, occasionally scrubby, and with typically 70-80% cover. The more open stands tend to have well-developed shrub layers while closed-canopy stands have fewer shrubs. Some stands, especially those in which fire has been excluded for long periods, can have tree densities up to several hundred trees per ha. Quercus velutina is the dominant tree species and makes up the great majority of the canopy in most stands. Other common tree species include Acer rubrum and Prunus serotina. Shrubs such as Cornus racemosa, Corylus cornuta, and Vaccinium spp. are typical. The ground layer contains species such as Amphicarpaea bracteata, Asteraceae spp., Carex pensylvanica, Geranium maculatum, Maianthemum racemosum, and Pteridium aquilinum.
Diagnostic Characteristics: No Data Available
Rationale for Nominal Species or Physiognomic Features: No Data Available
Classification Comments: Stands of this community contain at least 70% cover or basal area of Quercus velutina and are found on well-drained, sandy soils.
Similar NVC Types: No Data Available
note: No Data Available
Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available
Floristics: The tree canopy is moderately closed, with typically 70-80% cover (White and Madany 1978, MNNHP 1993). The more open stands tend to have well-developed shrub layers, while closed-canopy stands have fewer shrubs. Some stands, especially those in which fire has been excluded for long periods, can have tree densities up to several hundred trees per hectare (Curtis 1959). Quercus velutina is the dominant tree species and comprises the great majority of the canopy in most stands. Other common tree species include Acer rubrum and Prunus serotina. Typical shrubs include Cornus racemosa, Corylus cornuta, Vaccinium angustifolium, and Vaccinium myrtilloides. The ground layer contains species such as Amphicarpaea bracteata, Asteraceae spp., Carex pensylvanica, Geranium maculatum, Maianthemum racemosum, and Pteridium aquilinum. Where Carex pensylvanica forms dense sods, it may exclude shrub or sapling cover (E. Epstein pers. comm. 1999).
Dynamics: This forest community often occurs on sites that could support woodland or savanna communities. The forests develop where natural firebreaks have limited burning frequency (White and Madany 1978).
Environmental Description: Stands are found on sandy, well-drained to excessively well-drained soils. These develop from glacial outwash, glaciofluvial deposits, alluvial sediments, and dunes. The soils are relatively infertile and acidic and free of mottling (Eyre 1980). Stands can be found on flat to moderately sloping sites.
Geographic Range: This community is found in the upper midwestern United States, ranging from northern Indiana to possibly southeastern Minnesota.
Nations: US
States/Provinces: IA, IL, IN, MN, WI
Plot Analysis Summary:
http://vegbank.org/natureserve/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.687965
Confidence Level: Moderate
Confidence Level Comments: No Data Available
Grank: G4?
Greasons: No Data Available
| Type | Name | Database Code | Classification Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | 1 Forest & Woodland Class | C01 | 1 |
| Subclass | 1.B Temperate & Boreal Forest & Woodland Subclass | S15 | 1.B |
| Formation | 1.B.2 Cool Temperate Forest & Woodland Formation | F008 | 1.B.2 |
| Division | 1.B.2.Na Eastern North American Forest & Woodland Division | D008 | 1.B.2.Na |
| Macrogroup | 1.B.2.Na.4 White Oak - Bur Oak - Shagbark Hickory Forest, Woodland & Savanna Macrogroup | M012 | 1.B.2.Na.4 |
| Group | 1.B.2.Na.4.b North-Central Oak - Hickory Forest & Woodland Group | G649 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
| Alliance | A3326 Black Oak - White Oak North-Central Forest Alliance | A3326 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
| Association | CEGL002078 Black Oak / Pennsylvania Sedge Forest | CEGL002078 | 1.B.2.Na.4.b |
Concept Lineage: No Data Available
Predecessors: No Data Available
Obsolete Names: No Data Available
Obsolete Parents: No Data Available
Synonomy: = Quercus velutina / Carex pensylvanica Forest (Faber-Langendoen 2001) [Southern Dry Forest Black Oak Sand Subtype]
< Northern Pin Oak: 14 (Eyre 1980)
= Oak Forest (Southeast Section) Dry Subtype (MNNHP 1993)
< Northern Pin Oak: 14 (Eyre 1980)
= Oak Forest (Southeast Section) Dry Subtype (MNNHP 1993)
- Curtis, J. T. 1959. The vegetation of Wisconsin: An ordination of plant communities. Reprinted in 1987. University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. 657 pp.
- Epstein, Eric. Personal communication. Community Ecologist, Wisconsin Natural Heritage Program, Madison, WI.
- Eyre, F. H., editor. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and Canada. Society of American Foresters, Washington, DC. 148 pp.
- Faber-Langendoen, D., editor. 2001. Plant communities of the Midwest: Classification in an ecological context. Association for Biodiversity Information, Arlington, VA. 61 pp. plus appendix (705 pp.).
- Hop, K., S. Lubinski, J. Dieck, J. Drake, and S. Menard. 2009. National Park Service Vegetation Inventory Program: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana. USDI U.S. Geological Survey, La Crosse, WI, and NatureServe, St. Paul, MN. 312 pp.
- INAI [Iowa Natural Areas Inventory]. 2017. Vegetation classification of Iowa. Iowa Natural Areas Inventory, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines.
- MNNHP [Minnesota Natural Heritage Program]. 1993. Minnesota''s native vegetation: A key to natural communities. Version 1.5. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program, St. Paul, MN. 110 pp.
- Midwestern Ecology Working Group of NatureServe. No date. International Ecological Classification Standard: International Vegetation Classification. Terrestrial Vegetation. NatureServe, Minneapolis, MN.
- Minnesota DNR [Minnesota Department of Natural Resources]. 2003-2005a. Field guide to the native plant communities of Minnesota. Three volumes: The Laurentian Mixed Forest Province (2003), The Eastern Broadleaf Forest Province (2005c), The Prairie Parkland and Tallgrass Aspen Parklands provinces (2005b). Ecological Land Classification Program, Minnesota County Biological Survey, and Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Paul.
- WDNR [Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources]. 2015. The ecological landscapes of Wisconsin: An assessment of ecological resources and a guide to planning sustainable management. PUB-SS-1131 2015. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Madison. [http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/landscapes/Book.html]
- White, J., and M. Madany. 1978. Classification of natural communities in Illinois. Pages 311-405 in: Natural Areas Inventory technical report: Volume I, survey methods and results. Illinois Natural Areas Inventory, Urbana, IL.